The sending of messages between individuals using electronic devices, and in particular, mobile electronic devices such as smart phones (telephones that connect to the internet) is well known and very widespread.
There are many situations where senders and recipients of messages would like to be able to prevent bystanders from looking at messages they are writing or reading. This may be simply because the sender/recipient desires privacy, or it may be that the content of the message is sensitive or the information contained therein valuable.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a messaging application where senders and recipients may prevent bystanders from viewing messages being written and read.
When writing a message it is desirable to be able to review the message before sending it. To this end it would be desirable to provide in a messaging application the ability to review a messages that is otherwise concealed from bystanders.
US20160094495 describes a messaging application where a text message can have embedded with it a text effect. The text effect allows the message sent to the recipient to be scrambled, obscured or modified. When viewing the text message, the recipient can switch between viewing the text message with the text effect and viewing the text message without the text effect. Also, on the display of the sender.1s device, the sender can select the way the written text message is displayed, for example with a text effect or without.
The problem with the messaging application described in US2016094495 is that a string of previous messages remains visible to bystanders and also the message that is being written may be viewed by a bystander until such time as the text effect is applied.
It would be desirable to provide a means of concealing text in messages that is simpler and more effective that the prior art systems.